Tag Archives | energy management system

Some chain restaurants have started using comprehensive, fully automated energy management systems (EMS) to help reduce energy usage in their restaurants. Restaurant energy management systems have been around for a couple decades, but recent technological advances have really improved what an EMS can do.

An EMS system can control air conditioning, hood exhaust fans, and equipment power-ups automatically. Why is that good? Imagine an employee deciding it’s too hot and dropping the thermostat to 50 and leaving it on overnight. Or idle cooking equipment getting well ventilated by a hood fan on full blast. How about the morning shift manager arriving a little late and cranking up the lights and equipment all at the same time?

Little things can turn into big energy expenses, especially when you can’t be there to manage how energy is used all the time. The energy savings alone from having an automatic thermostat that drops the heat in winter and the cool in summer during off-business hours is significant. But an EMS goes much further. An alarm will sound if the door to the walk-in has been left open for more than 10 minutes. Employees walk into work in the morning with the lights already on and the equipment powered up and ready to go. These increased efficiencies not only reduce the headache factor, they can translate into some real savings.

Granted, most smaller restaurateurs probably cannot afford a comprehensive EMS yet. But as the technology gets cheaper and energy expenses continue their inevitable rise, the day may not be far off when it makes sense for even a Mom-and-Pop place to have a comprehensive, automated system managing their energy consumption.

In the meantime, why not set up your own restaurant energy management system? It may not have all the same cool computer-powered features of a modern EMS, but it can be just as effective.
Consider setting up some guidelines for your staff on how to power up equipment and turn on lights in sequence when opening your restaurant.

Train kitchen staff to dial back ovens, ranges, and broilers during downtimes and cut back the hood exhaust.

Post guidelines and expectations for energy usage like closing refrigerators, and hand out rewards for energy efficient practices.

And most importantly, buy an Energy Star rated automatic thermostat! It’s much less expensive than a fancy EMS, and accomplishes the same goal: automatically adjusting the thermostat during non-business hours.

The point is energy management is an important way to cut costs and reduce the carbon footprint of your business at the same time. Cutting costs means more profits, and running a green restaurant will earn you customer respect. It’s a win-win situation.

It’s such a buzzword these days it has almost become cliche, but nevertheless green restaurants are an important and lasting trend. Customers are the main force driving this, and consistently they say they value restaurants with green practices. Giving customers what they want while reducing your operating costs through more efficient (“green”) practices seems like a win-win for almost any restaurant.

These posts focus on how to improve your restaurant’s energy efficiency:

1.Manage Equipment Effectively- The cooking equipment in your kitchen are some of the biggest energy consumers for your business. If you can cut energy use here, you will see a considerable improvement to your bottom line.

2.Energy Efficiency: Look Past The Kitchen – Now that you’ve used post #1 above to improve the energy efficiency of your kitchen, you can start working on the rest of your building. Again, some very simple steps can result in significant savings.

3. Manage Hot Water Efficiently – Another energy hog is your hot water heater. Your restaurant goes through a lot of hot water, and anything you can do to improve the efficiency of heating water will also help you save money.

4.Use Efficiency Rebates! - Sooner or later you’ll need to update restaurant equipment, and the sooner you do so, the faster you’ll improve your kitchen’s energy efficiency. Depending on where you live, you can take advantage of some significant rebates from local goverment and utilities to help offset the cost of new equipment.

6.Green Technology: Energy Management Sytems – Chain restaurants are starting to use energy management systems to control energy use in multiple locations. It’s only a matter of time before this technology can be applied in indepenedent restaurants as well.

7.Why Recycle? Because It Feels Good – Recycling is one of the few tips on this list that won’t result in you saving money. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Customers who see a robust recycling program in a restaurant feel good about your establishment, and that can mean a lot more than the cost of recycling.

8.Green Consumers Going Strong- Despite recession and financial pressure, studies show that consumers till want green products and services, even if they have to pay more for them.

9.Buy An Energy Efficient Steamer – Investing in a commercial steamer is a great way to improve the efficiency of your kitchen and the taste and quality of your product. Learn more in this post.